


Idle Hands

by Dracavia



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012), Thor (2011)
Genre: Dramedy, M/M, Porn With Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-08
Updated: 2012-09-08
Packaged: 2017-11-13 20:33:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/507456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dracavia/pseuds/Dracavia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A bored and impatient God of Mischief is a dangerous thing.<br/>Or wherein Loki makes an unscheduled visit, finds out about social media and Tony's world is turned on its head.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Idle Hands

**Author's Note:**

> **Betas:** The awesome sigridhr, who so kindly agreed to beta for me when I thrust this (and other) fic at her and went "I have Avengers fic and need a beta, help!" And my smut-expert wife, corcalamus, who provided a sounding board for the two bedroom scenes with, and without who's encouragement this story probably would have turned out a much lower rating.  
>  **Warnings:** Probable mixed-country spelling, is that something to warn for?  
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the boys or any of the other Avengers characters, and sadly don't make a dime off any of them or their shenanigans. I'm just trotting them out for the amusement of myself and others (hopefully).  
>  **Notes:** So this isn't the first thing I've started writing for this fandom, but it is the first thing I've completed to my satisfaction (aside from a fest fic that'll be waiting for November). There's just something about Tony Stark, I love getting inside his head, and putting him together with Loki? Well sparks of the best sort are bound to fly. :D  
>  This story is based entirely in the movie universe, I've just grabbed pieces from the comics where it suited me to help fill in my back-story.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Loki Odinson was bored. And who could fault him, really? He'd been locked up in a windowless room in his father's castle for two weeks. _Two weeks_ without even a book to idle-away his time.

He thought he'd been more than patient as he awaited his sentence for the 'crimes' he'd committed against Midgard, but Odin was clearly drawing it out. Everyone always thought Thor was the less patient of Odin's sons, but Odin knew the truth. That Loki's vaunted patience didn't last well when he believed himself to be in a situation with a foregone conclusion, of which this was certainly one. Loki knew he wouldn't be executed, his father quite clearly felt too much guilt about his long-kept secret, nor was it particularly his style.

No, Loki was destined for a fate not unlike that of his foolish brother not so long ago, exile to a lower realm or something of the like. His father was rather fond of that practice, especially when he wanted to teach a lesson.

Loki wondered what lesson Odin would seek to teach him. Humility? He snorted to himself in derision, he'd had more than sufficient lessons in that after his fall through the void, thank you very much. The value of humanity perhaps? No, it was unlikely Odin would choose the scene of his 'crimes' for his exile.

That train of thought, however, presented him with the idea for a most pleasing diversion. It was likely Odin would restrict his powers in some way upon his exile, so this was perhaps his last chance to sate his curiosity about certain things on Midgard. Best to make use of the time while he had it.

With a devious grin, Loki stood. The fools had thought him sufficiently trapped in this room to grant him the small mercy of removing his bindings. They should have known their feeble spells were no match for Asgard's greatest sorcerer, even without a staff to aid him. With the barest flash of green light, Loki teleported away, leaving one of his duplicates in his place.

~*~*~

Tony Stark woke with a nudge to his shoulder, and the sound of a not entirely unfamiliar voice.

"Wake up, you're not remotely as interesting when you sleep as you are when awake, and I require a diversion." A familiar _male_ voice. That didn't make any sense, the only person he'd slept with in months was Pepper, and she was overseeing some meetings in Dubai this week.

He opened his sleep confused eyes to see Loki lounging on the bed beside him, dressed only in black leather trousers and a loose green shirt, glass of whiskey in hand. A smirk curved the man's lips, "I decided to help myself to that drink you offered."

"Whoa!" Tony bolted upright, backing to the far edge of the bed. "What the fuck are you doing here?! You're supposed to be in custody in Asgard."

"Yes, and so they still think I am. The All Father has sought to start my punishment with boredom, which quite obviously I find tedious. Two weeks have been more than enough time to order my thoughts after that unfortunate incident with the Chitauri, and to begin making plans for the future. They hinge, of course, on the final punishment the All Father decides to lay down, but I like to be prepared for multiple possibilities." He took a sip of the whiskey, and Tony couldn't help a stray thought for the elegance of the motion. Loki was all clean lines and smooth motions, his neck was particularly enticing...

And where the _hell_ had _that_ thought come from?! This was the man that had thrown him out a window less than a month ago. "I should be calling SHIELD to come recapture you. In fact, I don't know why I haven't already. JARVIS, get Nick Fury on the line." There was no response. "JARVIS?" he glared at Loki, "What have you done to my AI?"

"Nothing." There was that damned, sexy – hold the fuck, no! That _irritating_ smirk, yes, irritating.

"Then why isn't JARVIS responding?"

"It cannot hear you, I've spelled a pocket of silence within this room. Didn't want you calling out in shock, seems it was an accurate precaution to take."

Tony got out of the bed, all too aware that the only thing covering him was a loose pair of sweats, bare from the waist up. That awareness only grew as Loki gazed at him, a gaze that put Tony in mind of a panther sizing up a piece of meat. "So if I stepped outside of this room, what's to stop me from calling security on you then?"

"Your own curiosity, of course."

"And if I listen to my duty and survival instinct instead?"

Loki laughed at that, a rich and genuinely amused sound. "We both know those fall a distant second behind your inquisitive nature."

Hmm, he had a point there. This whole situation was utterly bizarre, part of Tony was certain it had to be a dream. "Alright then, curiosity first. _Why_ are you here?"

"I was bored. Also, I doubt the All Father intends to allow me anywhere near Midgard once my sentence has been laid down, and you're not the only one who is curious." Loki stood from the bed, setting his glass on the side-table with a soft 'clink'.

"About?" Tony was impressed at how casual he sounded, given that he felt like stalked prey as Loki rounded the bed towards him.

Loki grinned. "Why about you, of course."

"About me?" Tony quirked a disbelieving brow.

"Indeed. You are arguably one of the most audacious beings I have ever encountered, with the performance you put on in this very dwelling only a few weeks ago. With time and clarity of thought, I find that engaging rather than irksome. I wish to explore it while I can." Loki's grin turned wry, "I expect to have little in the near future that will catch my interest so."

Tony realised, a moment too late, that in his subconscious desire to maintain the distance between himself and Loki, he had allowed Loki to get between himself and the doorway. "You've escaped from Odin's custody, and yet you're talking like you still expect to be sentenced."

"Oh, I do, this is but a diversion. If I wish for the All Father to listen with open ears to all that has happened since my fall through the void, I will have to submit myself to his idea of justice." Tony couldn't miss the hint of distaste in Loki's voice, even as a piece of him was silently panicking at having run out of room to maneuver. The wall was behind Tony's back, though he refused on principle to press himself up against it as Loki crowded into his space. "You wouldn't refuse a condemned man a last request before his sentencing, would you, Stark?"

Tony could smell his fine whiskey on Loki's breath, mixing with something dark and spicy that must have been the god himself. It was a heady combination, and for the first time in his life Tony cursed his overly active libido. "Condemned? When Thor prepared to take you away, it hardly sounded like he expected Odin to have you killed."

"The All Father won't have me executed, he feels too guilty for that. As he should." A dark shadow passed across Loki's face, almost too fast for Tony to be sure it was there at all. _Almost_. "It will probably be exile. Jotunheim perhaps, if he's convinced them to use me as a resource in rebuilding rather than simply kill me where I stand. Or Niflheim, if he truly does wish to bore me to death." He reached up and ran a single finger down Tony's cheek and along his jaw, "Either way, the opportunities for a satisfying diversion will certainly be few and far between."

Tension ran through Tony as he fought the instinctive reaction to shiver at Loki's touch. Perversely the danger of the moment only seemed to fire his arousal, rather than douse it. "And what makes you think I'll provide a 'satisfying diversion' now? I'm in a happily monogamous relationship, and you're an intergalactic terrorist."

That startled a pleasant chuckle from Loki, and Tony thought vaguely that he could all too easily become addicted to producing such reactions. "Is that what they're calling me now?" His amusement momentarily took on a dark edge, "They have _no_ idea..." Loki seemed to intentionally shake off the altered mood, switching his focus. "Why are you pretending you wish to deny me?" He leaned in just that bit further, his cheek brushing against the unshaven rasp of Tony's own. "I can _smell_ the lust on you. I ask only for one night, and in the morning you can go back to your mundane relationship, your woman never the wiser if that is what you wish."

"What do you want, _exactly_?" Tony's voice was hoarse with desire, even to his own ears.

He felt Loki's grin against his cheek, the words whispered as a promise into his ear, "I _want_ to fuck you into the bed, Stark. And perhaps, if you are a worthy bed-mate, I will let you return the favour when I am done."

This time Tony couldn't contain the shudder that wracked his body. If Pepper ever found out about this, she'd feel betrayed, and rightly so... He had every reason to turn Loki down, it was the logical thing to do, the _sane_ thing to do, but no-one had ever accused him of being sane. He gripped Loki's hips, pulling them flush with his own as he growled out, "You'll be _begging_ for me to, by the time I'm done with you."

"Promises, promises," Loki sounded extremely pleased. "You had better not be all talk and no follow-through, or I shall be very disappointed."

"Now we can't have that," Tony said, and he turned his head, closing the last shred of distance between them as he captured Loki's lips in a heated kiss.

It was barely a moment before Tony was pushed up against the wall, his breath leaving him in a gasp. "You forget who's in control right now," Loki rasped, and before Tony had a chance to reply, he nipped Tony's lip and kissed him once more, this time taking the control.

Tony may have decided to go along with Loki's plans, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to make Loki work for it. He broke the kiss, turning his head away. "You're wearing too many clothes, and I really hope you're not planning to fuck me against this wall. I get that you have the strength to do it, but it's been quite a while since I've done this and I'd rather be comfortable."

"You talk too much." Loki thrust a leg between Tony's, and, _oh god_ , the friction was sending sparks along Tony's nerve endings.

"And you're still clothed. Bed, naked, now, thanks." Tony flashed him a Cheshire grin.

"Hmm, perhaps you have a point." Loki released him and stepped back, pulling his shirt off over his head.

Tony noted that Loki was far less muscled than his brother, but Tony preferred it that way. Loki was precisely his type, lean and wiry, a dancer's body rather than the body builder type. He wondered how he'd missed that before, he supposed it was a combination of the armour Loki usually favoured and that whole 'the world was in danger' thing.

" _Much_ better," Tony purred and stepped forward, his hand dropping to the fastening of Loki's trousers.

Loki let him get the buttons undone before his own hands slipped under the waistband of Tony's sweats and shoved the loose pants down to pool on the floor. "I am running this party, Stark, do not forget it."

"Who are you trying to convince here, me or you?" Tony just couldn't help baiting him, then had to wonder at his own lack of self-preservation instinct as he found himself suddenly thrown the short distance onto the bed.

Loki gazed down at him with an intensity that burned, "Do you intentionally try my patience?" He pulled off his trousers, Tony noting that Loki wore nothing beneath, and climbed onto the bed. He crawled up towards Tony, once more bringing to mind the feeling of predator and prey.

"What can I say, it's one of my charms." And there was that grin again, the one that had gotten him out of so many other difficult situations, not that he particularly wanted out of this one.

"Dubious at best," was Loki's verdict, as he settled himself above Tony, brushing their hips together in a most teasing fashion.

"Hey, you're the one that sought me out, don't go complaining n- ohhh," Tony momentarily lost his train of thought as Loki ground their hips together.

"You were saying?" Loki smirked down at him.

"Bastard," Tony ground out, then used Loki's moment of overconfidence and the leverage of the bed to roll them over. He ground his hips down, his own smirk upon his lips. "Now _that_ is the way I prefer things."

Loki quirked a brow at him, "Unfortunate for you then that I'm not inclined to indulge your whims just now." Almost effortlessly he rolled them back into their former position, reminding Tony all too clearly who had the greater strength. "I will not, however, have it be said of me that I am an inconsiderate lover." He shifted off to one side, "Lay on your stomach, Stark."

Tony watched him dubiously for a moment before complying, "I really hope you're not into rimming. I enjoy my share of kinks, but that isn't one of them." He laid with his head on his arms, face turned to watch Loki as the other man stretched over towards the side table.

"That wasn't what I had in mind, so you're safe there." This elicited a derisive snort from Tony, and a wryly amused smile from Loki. "Well, perhaps safe is the wrong word." He straightened back up and Tony recognised a bottle of massage oil from his own bathroom.

"A massage?" Tony was genuinely surprised, that wasn't the direction he'd expected things to go at all.

"I have been told that more than just my spell-casting is magic." Loki flipped open the lid on the bottle and slowly poured a stream down the length of Tony's back, sending a shiver up his spine.

Tony closed his eyes, trying to control the shudder, only to feel Loki settling astride his thighs. Long, agile fingers began smoothing the oil over his skin, kneading at the knots of tension in his lower back and shoulders. Tony's mind drifted as those clever fingers worked him over, and he couldn't help the inane thought that if Loki were to ever decide to give up being something of a megalomaniac he could certainly pick up a new job as a masseuse.

Loki slid down his body as he worked out every last drop of tension in Tony's muscles. There was a passing thought at tensing as Loki's hands dipped below his waistline, kneading his hips and the curve of his ass, but Tony just felt so bonelessly relaxed. Some part of his mind screamed that it was completely foolish to let his guard down so, given who his companion was, but he shoved that part away into a mental box. "Whoever called your fingers magical was right," Tony murmured drowsily, "I don't suppose you hire out for getaway weekends."

"I don't sell my services, Stark." His words were punctuated with a nip to the curve of one cheek, "They are a gift bestowed only upon those I choose."

The lethargy left Tony at that nip, reminding him of where this massage was headed. "It was worth a try."

"I think not." Loki sat up, running his hands over Tony's hips, "On your knees."

"You're awfully bossy, you know," Tony glanced back over his shoulder as he pulled his legs beneath him. Loki was watching him hungrily and it made him shiver, he seemed to be doing a lot of that this night.

"I am a prince and a god, I'm used to being obeyed." His hands moved over the arch of Tony's back, soothing away the hint of tension that had returned.

"And people say _I_ have an ego," Tony muttered amusedly, only to be startled as a slick finger ran up his crease, circling his entrance. "Ohhh..."

Loki leaned over him to whisper in Tony's ear, as fingers massaged him intimately, "You will call out my name as both prayer and benediction by the time I am done with you, Tony Stark."

" _Make me_ ," Tony breathed out.

"I intend to."

Loki pushed two fingers in, causing Tony to hiss at the slight burn. The hiss gave way to a moan as Loki worked them in and out, finding just the right angle to send sparks tingling through Tony's stomach. It had been a long time since Tony had been with a partner he trusted to do this, and the irony that he was now in this position with the God of Mischief, his recent enemy, did not escape him. With the pleasure running through his veins, however, he just couldn't bring himself to care.

The fingers disappeared and Tony sighed at their loss, only to give a throaty groan as they returned, three this time, and slick with more oil. Tony knew where this was soon headed and he found all of his doubts had been burned away in the heat of his lust. He craved the sensations running through him, and the ones yet to come. "Just fuck me already," he rasped, voice hoarse with his arousal.

"Since you asked so nicely," Loki purred. His fingers were gone once more, but this time they gripped Tony's hips, steadying him as the blunt head of Loki's cock pressed against his needy hole. Then Loki was pushing in, seating himself in one smooth stroke that left Tony gasping as his body stretched to accommodate him. He paused only a moment for Tony to adjust, then he began to set a furious rhythm.

Tony's ears filled with the sound of his own breathing and the slap of Loki's hips against his ass. His world narrowed down to nothing but those sounds and the sensations running through his body. The push and pull, the electricity running through him when Loki hit that spot just right. It wasn't every stroke, or even every other stroke – Loki seemed to delight in keeping Tony guessing, and the gasps of surprised pleasure they elicited from his throat as he was taken off guard.

Suddenly an arm wrapped around Tony's chest, pulling him up, back to chest with Loki. Loki's fingers ran over and around the arc reactor in Tony's chest, causing him to tense. "I can feel the power humming within you, Stark, right beneath my fingertips..." He pressed his palm over the reactor, "but I shall leave it where it belongs, for now." His hand moved downward and Tony could finally breathe again.

Loki was far too coherent for how wrung-out Tony felt, and he was determined to bring the god down with him. He ground back into Loki's thrusts, clenching around him, which drew a satisfying groan. Loki tightened his hold around Tony's ribs, hips thrusting harder, faster. Tony was seeing stars behind his eyelids, and one of his last coherent thoughts was that it was just possible that he might actually come without his cock ever having been properly touched.

The rhythm was growing erratic as Loki grew closer to his climax, but he was clearly determined Tony would come first. His thrusts rubbed relentlessly over Tony's prostate, the breath ragged in Tony's chest, and then it was upon him, bubbling up like molten heat deep in his stomach. Tony came with with a shout, Loki's name falling from his lips, a plea, an exultation, just as Loki had promised.

A few more ragged thrusts and Loki held Tony tightly against him, teeth sinking into the curve of Tony's shoulder as he came, seated deeply and shuddering.

Bonelessly, Loki laid them upon the bed, still curled around Tony's back, an arm over his waist. The God of Mischief was a post-coital cuddler, who knew? Tony felt too languid to protest, even if he wanted to, which he didn't given the glow of contentment that suffused him from head to toe. For the moment he was happy to just bask in the lethargy.

It was only a few minutes later though, that Tony shifted to turn over, but Loki tightened his hold just enough to stop him. Nuzzling behind Tony's ear, he whispered, "Rest, Stark. I think we could both use a nap before starting round 2, don't you?"

"Just want to be sure I'm going to get my chance to return the favour," he murmured in reply, admittedly sleepy.

Loki gave a soft huff of laughter. "You have my word I won't leave until you've had your chance."

Tony's lips curved in a wry smile. "God of Mischief and Lies, and I'm just supposed to take you at your word?"

"You wound me, Stark!" Loki's tone was both mock-affronted and amused. "What good are lies if you do not tell enough truth for them to be believable? I have never actually lied to you, have I?"

Silence reigned for a moment as Tony considered this. Excluding Loki's earlier assertions about his – supposedly – temporary escape, since he couldn't verify them yet, Tony conceded it was actually true. During the events of the invasion, Loki had postured and gloated, bullied and threatened, omitted and twisted words to manipulate, all of that certainly, but outright lied? Not that Tony could recall, not within his own presence certainly.

"No, I guess you haven't," Tony replied, just a bit reluctantly, "Doesn't mean now won't be the moment you start though."

"Mmm, true enough I'll grant you. However, in this case I assure you I am not. It would be counter productive." His hand dipped down to rub slowly over Tony's stomach and thigh. "As I am not yet ready for our diversion to end."

With a soft hum of contentment, Tony arched into the touch. "Well, that I think I can believe."

"Good, now rest, I intend you to need it." Loki lightly nipped the curve of Tony's neck.

"Keep that up," Tony rumbled, "and rest will be the furthest thing from my mind."

There was that laughter again, so light and genuine, free of the madness that had tainted it weeks ago. "Very well then. Now sleep, Stark, sleep."

Part of Tony thought to stay awake, both to simply be contrary and because this was _Loki_ , and did he really want to let his guard down that much in his presence? Eventually the choice was taken from him, however, as the lethargy of their coupling, the warmth of the body curled around his, and the late hour all conspired to draw him into sleep.

~*~*~*~

Tony watched as the sun rose over Manhattan, gradually lighting up his floor to ceiling windows. He'd been awake since the early hours of the morning when he and Loki had both roused and played out 'round 2.' Tony made good on his promises, and Loki had seemed anything but displeased with the results. When they were done, this time it had been Tony's turn to hold the other as he fell asleep, but unlike the last time, only one of them slept. Now that the lust had burned through him and run its course, the parts of Tony's mind that said this had been a bad – no a _terrible_ – idea, were vying to make themselves heard. His mind was was in such a whirl of thought that it was paradoxically almost silent, thoughts flying by too fast for any particular one to settle and be focused upon.

Turning over to his other side, Tony studied the lump in the covers that was the God of Mischief sprawled across the other half of his bed. At some point Loki had rolled away in his sleep and now his arms were stretched out, dark hair fanned upon his pillow. It was almost odd how innocent he looked in his sleep, Tony thought, a peace gracing the features that wasn't there when the god was awake. Tony knew he should regret the night before, regret the betrayal it was to Pepper and to his friends, but looking at that face, in that moment, he couldn't find it in himself to regret.

Never particularly one for deep introspection, Tony rolled onto his back with a sigh, dislodging that train of thought before he was forced to consider his reasons why. Grabbing a pillow from the floor and shoving it behind himself, he leaned back against the headboard and picked up his tablet from the side table. He needed a distraction, and the internet generally would do.

It was quite some time later that he was startled out of his perusal by a soft, sleep roughened voice, "What is that you're looking at?" Tony looked down to see Loki laying on his side, head propped up on one hand as he gazed at the tablet in Tony's hands.

"This?" he gestured at the display, "It's my Twitter feed."

Loki quirked a disbelieving brow, "And what, pray tell, is a 'Twitter' in this context?"

"It's a website on the internet," he glanced again at Loki, "You know what the internet is?"

"I have a passing familiarity."

"Right, well, it's this site where people post about their lives and their interests, and others follow them in their feeds to see what they have to say. You also get entries in your feed that others have directed at you or tagged as related to interests you want to track."

"Why in the world would anyone want to participate in such a thing?"

Tony gave a little shrug, "It has both narcissistic and voyeuristic elements to it, two traits that are abundant in the human populace. I actually made a post about it near when I first started cultivating a presence on the site. The nickname for my followers was based off it as a joke, 'Stark's Stalkers'."

"And just how many of these 'Stalkers' do you have?" Loki seemed more awake and genuinely curious now, as opposed to just passing time.

"About 8 million and growing at last count," Tony smirked, inordinately pleased with himself.

This really caught Loki's attention. "You have 8 million people worshiping you through this website?"

"I wouldn't say 'worshiping' is quite the right word, but yeah, 8 million people or so watch to see what I have to say or what I'm interested in. It's been really useful as a grass-roots advertising tool, getting people involved in our green energy projects and other activities that they might not have otherwise." His brow furrowed as he looked again at Loki. "Why, suddenly thinking of getting one of your own? I doubt Asgard has wifi reception."

Loki gave him a smirk of his own, sitting up and letting the sheet pool around his waist. "No, I don't suppose it does."

Tony didn't trust the look he saw on Loki's face, he knew that look. He saw it in the mirror when he had what Pepper called one of his 'grand ideas', but what harm could really come of showing Loki a single web page?

Loki stood from the bed and strode over to where he'd left his clothing on the floor the night before, unabashed at his nakedness. He picked them up and began pulling them on with the trousers, sadly obstructing Tony's view of pristine flesh. "Leaving so soon? I half expected you to demand I make breakfast."

The shirt slipped over Loki's head with a chuckle, "No, I have been gone long enough already, I should think. It is best I get back to Asgard before my deception is discovered." He strode over to Tony's side of the bed and reached down, taking Tony's jaw in hand. "Thank you for your cooperation, Tony Stark, this diversion was most pleasing. Perhaps, some day, I shall get a chance to explore your singularly unique mind as well as I have your body." He leaned down and captured Tony in breathless kiss.

Before Tony could do more than lean into it with a soft moan, Loki was stepping away. With a smile on his lips, he was gone in the faintest flash of green light, leaving virtually no trace of his presence behind. If it wasn't for the faint scent of sex still lingering on the sheets, and the bruise on his shoulder, Tony could almost relegate the past few hours to an alcohol induced dream. Perhaps, he thought, it would be better to treat this memory as one anyway. As long as it turned out Loki had in fact returned to Asgard for judgment, the alternative wouldn't likely do anyone any good anyway.

~*~*~*~

What Tony didn't know was that when he left, Loki didn't return directly to Asgard. What he did know was that a week later Thor returned to Earth and informed the other Avengers that Loki had been sentenced. He'd agreed to serve out whatever punishment Odin saw fit, provided he was granted a private audience with only Odin and Frigga beforehand. Tony could see that it rankled Thor to be left out of the family meeting, especially as both of his parents had appeared quite disturbed by whatever it was Loki told them when they were done.

Whatever it was Loki had told his parents, it had apparently swayed Odin's decision regarding his punishment. Rather than the exile Loki had professed to expect, Thor informed them that Loki was being confined, for the next two centuries, to a little used castle buried somewhere in the furthest reaches of Asgard. It was an over-glorified 'Go to your room' as far as Tony was concerned, but who was he to critique Asgardian justice? Tony just hoped that the spells used on the castle to contain Loki were better than the ones that had been placed on his cell, and studiously ignored the part of himself that really hoped they weren't.

~*~*~*~

_Nearly 4 years later:_

Tony yawned and took a sip of his coffee as he walked into his workshop, "Good morning JARVIS."

"Good afternoon, sir." There was a dryness to JARVIS' reply that Tony both loved and hated. Why had he given snark to his AI, of all emotions?

"Anything interesting in the news today?" Tony sat down at his console as JARVIS brought up a number of feeds on the screen.

"You may wish to start your day with your Twitter feed, sir, it has been particularly active today."

"Oh?" Tony's brow furrowed as he flicked through to the appropriate screen, then it became an actual frown as he found what he was looking for. "What in the...?"

"Apparently, sir, 'Stark's Stalkers' have started a 'Twitter war' with 'Will's Army' this morning, in defence of your honour." There was that dry tone again.

"My honour? What in the world for?" A new feed appeared on the screen for Tony to consider, oh yes, this was the day People Magazine announced their 100 Most Beautiful list. Tony had ranked 4th for the last three years running. The pages flipped quickly through to stop on Tony's entry, it was 5th this year. Well, that wasn't entirely shocking, the top 10 in the list had been mostly dominated by women for the past five years, and a man hadn't ranked 1st in longer than that. "So what's the issue?"

The digital rendition of the magazine flipped back a page and settled on the 4th place entry, a page devoted to a man named [William "Will" Thompson](http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/dracavia/2219206/54432/54432_original.jpg). "He looks familiar..." Tony stared at the image of the man with short strawberry blonde curls and a vandyke that was a bit fuller and less sculpted than his own. That wasn't what really caught his attention though, it was the eyes. The man grinning up at Tony from his screen had an intense green gaze, and Tony was certain he knew it. "It _can't_ be, he's meant to be in exile on Asgard. JARVIS, tap into SHIELD's database and run Mr. Thompson's photo against their persons of interest files."

"Of course sir, it will be but a few moments."

As Tony stared at the photograph, waiting, he felt a sinking feeling develop in his stomach.

"Comparison complete, sir."

"Who is the closest match?" A new photograph appeared up on the screen now, side-by-side with the article, unsurprisingly it was of Loki Odinson. "JARVIS, based on all available biometric data, calculate the odds of William Thompson being Loki."

There were a few moments pause as JARVIS accessed the necessary information and computed, Tony grew tense. "There is an 88.57% probability of a match," he informed Tony.

"Only 88? I'd expected it to be higher."

"The program reduces the likelihood for such typically immutable characteristics as height, sir. Mr. Thompson is recorded as 1.5 inches shorter than Mr. Odinson."

"Alright, what's the comparison based just on their faces?"

"97.8%, sir."

"I was afraid you'd say something like that." What in the nine realms was Loki up to this time?

Tony knew he needed to do some research, and fast. He couldn't believe SHIELD had missed this somehow, and he needed to figure out how they did before he went bringing this issue to the other Avengers. Plus there was the issue of Thor, he'd only been to visit his brother in his castle prison not three weeks ago, he'd certainly be skeptical if Tony didn't show up with plenty of proof.

~*~*~*~

Tony stared at the files he had collected on 'Will Thompson', spread out on the monitors before him, and for the first time since he had started this project he had a moment of doubt. He'd expected when he started this for Thompson's trail to have a dead-end not too far back, a point at which he suddenly appeared. The problem was that, while Tony could find the point where Thompson's fame exploded, it wasn't the dead-end he'd been looking for. There were smaller parts before it, mostly on the stage, and before that were school records, everything you'd expect back to his sealed adoption records (Tony had been tempted to hack those as well in his frustration, but they were apparently old enough not to have been digitized anyway).

There was nothing suspicious about any of it, just the classic story of a younger actor finally getting his breakout role and riding the wave of his fame.

It was possible he was becoming obsessed, Tony knew, but he just felt it in his gut that he was right and he'd learned years ago to follow where such feelings led him. Tony pulled the folder of images back up, flipping through to the images from before Thompson's big break. There were far fewer of these, but he supposed that was to be expected. Still, maybe there was _something_...

"JARVIS, I want to run an analysis on just these images," with a flick of his hand the suspect images were on their own monitor. "Check for any discrepancies that indicate the images may have been tampered with... While you're at it, collate all of the file data on origin, etc."

"Of course, sir. Estimated rendering time 16.8 minutes."

"Thanks, Jarv." Tony stood and stretched, glancing at the clock. It was nearly 5 in the morning, he'd been at this for 19 hours straight, with only the briefest break to collect the pizza JARVIS had ordered him for dinner. Once Pepper would have been the one to do that, to lure him from his workshop, even if it was only for an hour. He knew JARVIS did it because she'd asked him to, but it wasn't the same. Not that it was her fault, he could appreciate her need for distance after everything between them blew up in his face – he threw a frown at the images of the man he believed to be Loki – he just missed the way things used to be sometimes.

He had to remind himself, not for the first time that night, that this search was for the safety of the world, not just to satisfy an old grudge. Not that Tony was ever certain whether his anger at the haughty god was too much for his role in the failure of his relationship with Pepper, or – more troublingly – not enough.

The thing was, nothing Loki said That Night – it had taken on capital letter status in his mind – all those years ago was untrue. He could have gone on as though nothing had ever happened, it wasn't like Loki had ever tried to contact him again, and in fact he had tried to do just that at first. Unfortunately for Tony it had turned out he had more of a conscience then he'd given himself credit for, because keeping the secret of his infidelity began to wear on him. Instead of That Night falling from his memory the more time passed, the more it came back to him at inappropriate moments – if one could say there was ever an appropriate moment to remember it.

And Pepper, she knew him so well... About three months after The Night, she'd finally cornered him about it. She hadn't known then what was bothering him, but she knew there was something he was hiding, she could read him that well. The irony was, it wasn't that Tony had had a fling with a man that had doomed their relationship. Tony had never mentioned names, that wasn't really the part that was relevant to his guilt complex. No, the problem was that Tony had hidden it in the first place. Pepper had admitted that she'd almost expected at least a few indiscretions to occur, over 20 years of habit was hard to break after-all. She'd never actually made him promise to be faithful, as long as it was always her he came back to she'd have been content, but there was one thing she had made him promise after the palladium poisoning incident... 

Never to hide anything important from her again, under the guise of sparing her feelings. He'd broken that promise, and he couldn't promise he wouldn't break it again. It was another one of those habits, and apparently an even harder one to break than his promiscuity.

Pepper had been surprisingly calm about the whole thing, and even though she didn't say it then, that was how Tony knew it was over between them. Over the years Tony had come to realise that Pepper was at her calmest on the surface when she was the most upset. No, at the time she'd simply said that she was taking two weeks vacation from work – and Tony – effective immediately, while she figured her mind out.

When she came back, she'd told him things were over between them, as he'd expected, and that she was resigning her position as his assistant, which he somehow hadn't. Tony had panicked inside more than a little when she'd made that pronouncement, and it must have shown on his face because she'd wavered for a moment, bless her kind heart. In the end though, she'd held strong. She'd said that after everything it was too much to go on standing by his side day in and day out, without growing to hate him for what could have been.

She was right of course, he knew it as soon as she'd said it, as much as he'd wanted to scream and plead otherwise. So instead Tony fell back to one of the things, besides science and blowing shit up, that he knew he was really good at. Negotiation. Pepper had hated her brief stint as CEO, he knew that, but a VP... well she already pretty much functioned as one anyway. She'd turned him down at first, but Tony had always known how to press her buttons.

"This company is as much your baby as mine," he'd said. "Just because I've lost you, it doesn't mean everyone else should as well. The kids never win in a custody battle," he'd added with a touch of a smile, and she couldn't help a laugh. That was when he knew he'd won.

In the end it was a very civil break-up, for which Tony was grateful to this day. His biggest gesture had been to give her the Manhattan brownstone, which she'd said wasn't necessary, but frankly the only good memories he had of the place after his parents' deaths were tied up in Pepper, and he didn't want to go back anyway. Hers had been to handle his transition to a new assistant personally.

That was how Stephanie had become a fixture in his life, Pepper had hand-picked Stephanie to be her replacement. To this day he couldn't decide if Pepper had picked Stephanie to be kind or cruel, and generally he avoided giving it too much consideration because it was probably a bit of both. Stephanie was smart, confident and competent, she was also 5'10" with honey blonde hair and legs that went on for miles. He could have ended up falling for her in time he knew, the way he had for Pepper, except for one key fact. Stephanie was very much in love with her partner of 10 years, _Lynette_. Stephanie was a lesbian, without even a shred of interest in men as sexual objects, Tony Stark included.

It had been awkward between Tony and Pepper at first, when they were trying to find their feet in their new roles in each other's lives. Stephanie was an excellent assistant, but they both knew she'd never be to him what Pepper had been, and in the end he thought perhaps that was part of why the were able to move on as they had. There were no true replacements. As well as it had all worked out, though, there were still those moments that unexpectedly jumped out at him to make him think about what was... 

To distract himself away from his maudlin thoughts, Tony busied himself with the complicated coffee machine he'd built and installed in a corner of his workshop. Just as he was taking his first sip of sweet and frothy heaven, JARVIS announced, "Render complete, sir."

"What have you got, Jarv?" Tony walked back to his desk as the monitors switched over to show the results of the analysis.

"None of the images were found to have been definitively tampered with."

"None?" Tony frowned. "Not even a bit of Photoshop for a stray zit?"

"No, sir. You may find the collated information more interesting, however." JARVIS put the data front and center.

As he read, Tony's brows rose. "You're certain this data is correct?"

"Tamper checks were run on every aspect of the images, sir." JARVIS sounded insulted at the implied slight to his abilities.

Well, that was certainly interesting. "I'm sorry, JARVIS, I don't know what I was thinking. I programmed you, of course you'd be completely thorough."

"Quite so, sir."

"Right, well, in your completely thorough way, I'd like two timelines on the last 10 years completed, side-by-side. One each for Thompson and Loki, events summarized in 100 words or less."

"10.7 minutes to render, sir."

While he waited, Tony flipped through some of the more recent articles on Thompson, which he'd already read. These were a part of what had given Tony pause before. By virtually all accounts he could find, Thompson was a genuinely nice guy. He had his occasional moments of mild arrogance, but what 30-something man in his position wouldn't? Overall, though, he'd put his newfound fame to what most could only call good uses. Thompson was associated with numerous charitable causes, including climate change and green energy. There was actually one article on his own arc reactors that quoted Thompson as one of the note-worthies in support of the technology.

Other causes included universal healthcare, explained by his British roots; adoption awareness, also a product of his childhood; and animal welfare. It was a flier relating to the last that Tony had pulled up when JARVIS interrupted him.

"Your timelines, sir," JARVIS said as they displayed on the main screen. And there it was, the last of the proof Tony needed to erase his doubt about who Will Thompson really was.

All but a few of the most recent images JARVIS had analyzed were scans of traditional photographs, and they'd all been scanned in during the same 6 month period, starting just after Loki was meant to be locked up in his castle. It was shortly after those that promotional photos for 'Will's' breakout role began to appear. He didn't know how Loki had built himself such a thorough cover, but he had. What really bothered Tony though was that he couldn't figure out _why_. In all his research there was no clear motive behind the trickster's actions, no plot Tony could divine.

Thompson's origins as an adoptee were obvious, as was the profession as an actor. After all, what was an actor but a professional liar? Also, it gave Loki the audience he clearly craved. The charities, though... Tony was uncertain, and he hated being uncertain about anything.

He looked back over at the flier he'd been perusing and gave a short laugh at the caption on the picture included of Thompson and a sleek black cat, with striking green eyes. 'Will and Fenris', that arrogant son-of-a-bitch.

"JARVIS, are there any tickets still available for the NYC-ASPCA charity dinner?"

There was a pause and then JARVIS replied, "The regular tickets are sold out, sir, however there are still some gold sponsor tickets available. They include access to a post-dinner cocktail hour with the guests of honour."

"Perfect," Tony grinned. "Get the ticket and let Stephanie know to book it in my schedule for Saturday."

"Of course, sir."

Tony had some planning to do.

~*~*~*~

Stephanie had wondered at his sudden desire to go to the benefit dinner, especially since he usually hated these types of events. He gave her a long and rambling answer that amounted to no real reason at all, but had Stephanie dropping the subject just to shut him up. Never let it be said that Tony Stark wasn't a champion bull-shitter.

So there he stood, drinking a surprisingly decent scotch, as he leaned against the bar in the hotel ballroom, stalking his prey at a distance. Dinner and the speakers had been passable, but Tony had had eyes for only one person all evening. He took a slow sip of his scotch as he watched Thompson chat up a pair of New York City politicians, giving a cheerful laugh at something one of them said.

"Delicious, isn't he?" came a conspiratorial voice from over his shoulder. Tony turned to see a bartender leaning against the counter behind him. The man gave Tony a knowing smile, "I wouldn't say no to going home with him either."

"I'd have thought Mayor Van Wyck was a bit old and married for your tastes," Tony deadpanned. At the man's raised brow, Tony grinned, "Yeah, yeah, I know you meant Thompson, but that wasn't why I was watching him."

"Could have fooled me, man. That look totally said you'd like to have him for your dessert." The bartender looked back out at Thompson, who'd moved on to chatting with some wealthy couple. "Shame really, the mild-mannered ones are often the wildest in the sack."

Tony chuckled, "Oh, you have no idea."

The man's eyes lit up and flicked between Tony and Thompson, "Past fling, scorned lover?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Tony tossed back the remainder of his scotch, "Sorry babe, I don't kiss 'n' tell." He set his glass down and walked away, leaving the pouting bartender behind.

Deciding he wasn't going to get a better chance with waiting, Tony walked purposefully towards Thompson and the couple. He plastered one of his most cheerful smiles on his face as he interrupted.

"Will, it's been years! I wish my assistant had told me you were going to be one of the guests of honour, I'd have been looking forward to this dinner." Thompson's only reaction was to quirk a brow as Tony turned to the confused couple. "I hope you don't mind if I borrow him for a while, we have quite a bit of catching up to do."

"Well, I –" the husband began before Tony cut him off.

"No? Thanks," his smile still firmly in place, he pressed a guiding hand to Thompson's back, "Come on Will, let's get a couple of drinks."

They were halfway to the bar – the opposite end from the nosy bartender – when Thompson finally spoke. "Not that I mind being rescued from pompous bores like them, but what do you think you're doing?" he asked, sounding amused.

"I think I should be the one asking that," Tony said, giving him a _look_. "Aren't you supposed to be locked up in a castle somewhere?"

With that question, any last minuscule trace of doubt that Tony might still have had about Will Thompson being Loki's alter-ego, rather than some highly coincidental doppelganger, was evaporated. Any normal person confronted with someone making apparently crazy claims from nowhere would have tried to get away from him, instead Thompson gave a genuinely amused laugh.

"You have a very vivid imagination, my friend," Thompson said and grinned, mischief shining in his green eyes.

Tony refused to play Loki's game. "Cut the shit, Loki. What are you playing at?"

Thompson's eyes narrowed and his smile tightened ever so slightly. "So stubborn, Mr. Stark," he said, and it was tantamount to an admission. Rather than stopping in his tracks, however, he walked faster to a spot at the very end of the bar, leaving Tony to follow after.

Tony arrived just as Loki said to the – hopefully less nosy – bartender, "A french martini, please, and a scotch for my friend."

"I wouldn't use 'friends' to describe us," Tony said dryly.

"Well what _would_ you call us, Stark? Certainly not enemies after the way we last parted," he smirked.

"Perhaps _particularly_ after that last meeting," Tony said. "It led to the downfall of my only stable long-term relationship." Which was a patently unfair thing to say since Tony really only had himself to blame for how things had ended with Pepper, but it was still true nonetheless.

"Ah yes, and how is the delightful Ms Potts? It has been nearly a year since I last encountered her." Loki laid down the money for their drinks, plus a generous tip, as the bartender handed them over.

"You've never met Pepper," Tony said with certainty, "There's no way she wouldn't have mentioned that."

Loki handed Tony his scotch with an enigmatic smile, "Well, Will Thompson hasn't." At Tony's frown he continued, "I think perhaps this conversation would be better conducted in private, don't you?"

"I may be reckless, but I'm not stupid. Why would I go anywhere alone with you?"

A hand came up to Loki's chest as he feigned a wounded look. "Stark, have you no faith in me at all?"

"No, not really," Tony drawled.

"I'm wounded, truly," Loki pouted, and Tony gave a snort of amusement. The man had no right to be as amusing or attractive as Tony found him. And where had that thought come from? Tony had thought he'd purged all of those thoughts and emotions after their last disastrous, delicious, meeting.

Tony chose to simply give Loki a hard look as his reply. So, with a sigh, Loki continued, "You have my word no harm will come to you, and I kept my word last time, did I not?" He gave Tony a smile bordering on a leer.

Thinking about it though, what purpose would harming Tony really serve under the circumstances? Numerous witnesses had now seen Tony in Thompson's company, if they left together and Tony came up missing or injured, Thompson would be the first suspect. Even if the cops never pinned anything on him, the suspicions would follow Thompson for years, and Tony had a feeling Loki had put more effort into this alias than he wanted to throw away just yet.

"You have someplace in mind?" Tony asked, causing Loki to grin.

"I have a suite upstairs for the night, the sitting area seems suitable."

Still in the same hotel then, Tony supposed it wasn't the stupidest thing he'd ever done. "Alright, let's go," Tony said, eager to get his answers.

They left their half-finished drinks behind and started for the exit. Tony waited by the doors as Loki made his excuses to one of the middle-aged women running the event. By the way she fluttered and smiled as Loki spoke to her, he was no doubt charming her off her feet.

Eventually he walked over to Tony, a smile still on his face. "I've been released from my obligations, we should be uninterrupted."

"Dare I ask what you told her?"

"I was given the nickname 'Silvertongue' on Asgard for a reason," he grinned. "Also, I told her I would be personally securing a rather sizable donation for this fine organization."

Tony grimaced, "How sizable?"

"Pocket change to a man like you, I'm sure," Loki quipped and started off for the elevators, leaving Tony in his wake once more.

Tony was unimpressed with the antic and caught up to walk alongside. He kept his place at Loki's side all the way to the elevators, even when the taller man lengthened his stride. No doubt Pepper would have had something to say about their maturity level, but he'd be damned before he let Loki get a hand up on him before the conversation had even properly started.

They spent the rest of the walk to the suite in silence. Loki motioned him in first, and Tony took the opportunity to have a look around. Part of him was disappointed at how normal it was. It looked like any suite he'd have booked for himself, nothing that screamed 'attempted evil overlord staying here'. Which he supposed was an unrealistic hope anyway, but would have been funny in a Hollywood fantasy sort of way.

"Nice view," Tony said as he looked out the window at the city streets below.

"I like to look down at the world beneath my feet," Loki said as he stepped up beside Tony and handed him a glass. "A sentiment I daresay you share."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tony said a tad defensively, and gave his drink a suspicious sniff.

"The penthouse flat at the top of your tower here in Manhattan, the house in Malibu on a bluff overlooking the beach and your neighbors," Loki said pointedly.

Alright, maybe Loki had a _bit_ of a point, Tony conceded internally, but he didn't have to tell Loki that.

"And would you sip your drink already? You're looking at it like it's going to bite you. It's not like I drugged it while you weren't looking."

Tony gave him a look that clearly said he wouldn't put it past him, and Loki reached over with a sigh, grabbing the drink back. He took a sip and swallowed pointedly, before handing Tony the drink again. "See, it's fine."

"That actually proves nothing, since you're not human," Tony said, but then grinned and took a sip anyway.

Loki gave an exasperated growl under his breath. "You are a truly infuriating human. I wouldn't bother with you if you didn't have so much potential."

"Bother with me? I'm the one that tracked _you_ down," Tony said, wondering how Loki always managed to make him feel like he was on uneven footing.

"Perhaps, but I knew when I started this that there was a chance I'd have to deal directly with one of you Avengers. It was one of many eventualities I've planned for."

"And just what is 'this' anyway?" Tony watched Loki, trying to gauge his sincerity.

Loki chuckled and gave him a grin, "You haven't figured it out? Well, no, I suppose you'd be missing at least a few of the key pieces. I'm working on the same thing I've been working on since I set foot on this backwater world."

"What, taking it over?" Tony drawled, looking at Loki sceptically. "I know I told you your methods wouldn't work last time, but this seems an even odder way to go about it," he continued, gesturing to Loki's current appearance.

His observations only seemed to increase the trickster's amusement. "I was going to say saving the world, actually, but the two goals aren't mutually exclusive."

" _Save_ it?" Tony asked incredulously, "I'm not sure we're working from the same dictionary here. Did you somehow miss the death toll and epic level of property damage you and your friends caused?"

"I'd hardly call them my friends, and it was but a trifle of what they will do when they get here, now that I am not moderating their ambitions, I assure you." For the first time since arriving at the suite, Loki's smile and mirth were completely absent.

"What do you mean 'when they get here'? We got the Tesseract back, ruining their portal, and blew up their army for good measure." This conversation really wasn't going where Tony had expected.

"You mortals and your restricted viewpoints, it's half the reason for many of the troubles you've gotten yourselves into." Loki shook his head disparagingly, "You destroyed _one_ ship, carrying a _single_ battalion. There are dozens more like them, still out there, and they didn't need the portal to get here, just to get here faster."

"Why come here, though? We don't have the Tesseract anymore, and you're apparently done working with them. I thought that cube and your grudge were the whole point of that little invasion attempt." If what Loki was saying was true, if they'd really misjudged the situation as badly as Loki seemed to think they had, the Earth could be in serious trouble.

"They weren't here for the Tesseract or because of me, we were merely opportunities to them. They will be here because of _you_."

"I get that I probably pissed them off, if they even know it was me that redirected that nuke, but isn't it an overreaction to invade a world for one man?"

Loki sighed and waved a hand as though swatting Tony's question away like an annoying fly. "Don't be obtuse, Stark. They probably have a particular vendetta for you now, as they do me, but I meant 'you' in the more general sense, humanity. With roughly seven billion of you, this world is a more densely packed resource than any other in the nine realms currently, and rivals or exceeds any that are left in their home galaxy."

"So they want what, slaves?"

"Not slaves, _sacrifices_ ," Loki said ominously.

Tony couldn't help his eyes widening as the implication sank in, "Sacrifices for _what_?"

"Not for a 'what', for a 'who'. Thanos, the leader of the Chitauri, courts Mistress Death."

"I've often been told I court death, but that's just because I risk my _own_ life regularly. This is a whole epically different scale," Tony said.

"No, you speak of death figuratively, Thanos courts Mistress Death quite literally. He presents her with the lives of millions as you would a lady with flowers," Loki explained.

Tony was appalled. "So the Chitauri are led by a madman trying to 'court' a figment of his imagination?"

"While 'madman' is perhaps an apt description, Mistress Death is no figment." At Tony's look of disbelief he continued, "There are certain forces in the universe so pervasive, immutable, that they have consciousness made manifest. Mistress Death is one such as that. She is as real as the heat from the sun, the breath in your lungs, the floor under our feet, and Thanos seeks to be her consort."

Tony looked at Loki as though all this was too fantastical to be true. "So let's say I suspend my disbelief for a moment and take all you've said as true –"

"It _is_ ," Loki cut in with irritation.

Tony continued on as though uninterrupted, "Then why the _fuck_ were you working with that madman?! I thought you wanted to rule Earth, not much to rule if he destroys all life on the planet."

"I never wanted to be a king, Stark." At Tony's snort of disbelief he frowned and continued on, "When the Chitauri found me and brought me to Thanos, he knew I had a passing familiarity with Midgard. He thought to use that knowledge to take the planet, and as I had lost my taste for my own death in the fall through the void, I wasn't so foolish as to oppose him. Instead, I named a price for my assistance, dominion over Midgard and half her population. I thought three and a half billion lives saved was better than none."

"And you'd be ruler of them all," was Tony's cynical response.

Loki rolled his eyes, "Surely you must know that the one with the real power in any traditional monarchy is the one behind the throne, whispering in the king's ear. I wished to be the whisperer, not the king, it has always been that way."

"But Earth has no king, as you well know," Tony pointed out.

"No, your world is a far more interesting and complex place than that," and Loki's mirth seemed to return to him. "The rulers, on the grandest scale, hold very little power. It's public opinion that rules this world, and it is the rich and famous such as yourself that inform that opinion. I now sway that opinion to my desires, and in time the world will be molded as I see fit. I'll grant you it's a much longer game than the Chitauri had in mind, but they lack both patience and vision."

"And your grand speech about how it's the unspoken truth of humanity that we crave subjugation, and all that other bullshit?"

Loki grinned, "Oh, it's still true, your present culture simply prefers to dress it up in a pretty package to make it more palatable. I thought this package quite pleasing indeed, do you not?" he said as he gestured to himself.

"It has its... merits," Tony said, and took a sip of his drink. That was really a route he shouldn't go down, there were more important things to deal with. "Let's get back to the part where you claimed to be saving the Earth. So, last time you had a deal with Thanos. What are you up to now, besides swaying public opinion, because I can't say I see how that will help."

"That's the long-term view, what good will saving you humans from the Chitauri do if you just manage to kill yourselves off a hundred years later? I'd really rather have you lot around to entertain me for longer than that after all of the effort I've been putting in."

"Again with the implications of some grand plan, but all I really see to show for it is a few movies and some charity PR," and Tony couldn't see how any of that could help against the Chitauri.

"That is because you've failed to see the full scope. Will Thompson is the long game, I don't want him particularly tied up in anything too serious. That's what they are for," Loki waved towards an empty stretch of the floor and suddenly five of his duplicates appeared, except they weren't the exact copies Tony had seen before. There were three men and two women, all very different, but all with Loki's green eyes. "I don't spend as much time in any of these personas, but each has a full back story as Will does, and each has their role to play. Hirokutso Tayama is a reclusive inventor in the computer tech sector in Tokyo, Ambros Kaiser does rocket propulsion research for the EU, Miranda Sethmore is a very wealthy investor here in America. In fact, she's had lunch with your Ms Potts after more than one shareholder meeting."

"That's what you meant at the bar..." Tony's brows rose as the further implications of Loki's words sunk in, " _You're_ an investor in Stark Industries? And here I'd thought you restricted yourself to talking about the arc reactors to the green sector."

"Oh no, far more than that. Miranda is poised to join the board of directors some day," Loki smiled in a way that Tony found just a bit unsettling. "I know your company inside and out, Stark, I've researched it and I've researched _you_."

"What, are you _stalking_ me now?"

Loki smirked as he dispelled the illusions. "Aw, Stark, afraid I've been taking your fans' moniker too literally?"

"Forget the fans on Twitter, none of _them_ have infiltrated my company!" What the hell was Loki playing at?

"All for a good cause, even you would agree I think. I've been supplying technological innovations that will be useful in the fight against the Chitauri, and working towards increased international cooperation in various locales. Unfortunately you humans are very stubborn, and it's been going slower than I'd hoped," Loki said, sounding vexed.

"What does any of that have to do with your involvement in my company?"

"Not just your company, _you_. I told you once that you made me curious, and while I sated part of my curiosity that night, there was a great deal more I wished to know." He finished off his drink and set the glass aside as he turned to face Tony. "I had hoped to remain in the background through the coming conflict, but I knew there was a good chance that wouldn't be possible and I had to plan for it. I don't trust easily, Stark, and I needed to know if you were the kind of man I could trust."

"Why me?" Tony couldn't help but ask.

"Can you imagine me working with any of the other members of your team?" Loki huffed in amusement. "All but Thor wouldn't have hesitated to have me locked up, and Thor... Well frankly I'd rather not deal with him more than necessary. You however... this is the second time we've met and you have not tried to apprehend me."

"The night's not over yet," Tony said, but he knew even as he said it that it was a mostly idle threat.

"I need a partner, Stark. The Chitauri will be here in just under two years, and there is much work yet to do before they arrive. You can act with impunity, a luxury I cannot afford, and is needed if we are to be ready in time."

"Two years, you know this for sure?"

"I cannot reach them without a power source like the Tesseract, but I do have my ways to track them. They've been delayed by another conquest along their way, but the fleet headed here has reached their galactic rim, and all that now lays between them and our galaxy is less than two years of empty space. They will be delayed no longer." He stepped closer to Tony, looking at him intensely, "I have a great deal of assistance I can provide, Stark, but I will not give up my freedom for it. That is the price for my help."

"I'll need proof, I'm not sticking my neck out for you without it."

"I'd expect nothing less. You'll have all you need to confirm my story tomorrow," Loki said without hesitation.

"That'll do I suppose," Tony said and set his glass aside, sensing their conversation was coming to an end. "And if this has all been some ridiculously elaborate lie to occupy me tonight and ensure I'll give you a chance to get away, don't think I won't go straight to the others with all I know, including that you have some way to slip the leash that's meant to be on you."

"Oh I have no intention of going anywhere else tonight, Stark," he said, and he stepped further into Tony's personal space. "There's nothing more to be gained tonight regarding my work, so I think it's time to relax." His lips quirked in a predatory smile that Tony found all too familiar. "Time for a diversion."

With those four words, Tony found himself growing aroused, more aroused than he had a right to, but as much as he'd tried to forget That Night, the memories of it had always remained vivid in his mind. He'd allowed himself to be led astray once, he wasn't going to let himself be led anywhere again. Loki wasn't the only one that knew how to play the predator, and this time it was his turn. He'd hunted Loki down to this hotel, now it was time to claim his prize.

Tony took the last step to close the space between them, his hands gripped Loki's hips and he twisted them about to push Loki up against the wall beside the window. Taking advantage of Loki's moment of surprise, Tony removed any trace of space between them and caught the god's lips in a searing kiss. As good as it was though, the scrape of Loki's beard against his own reminded him that the other was in a disguise and that just wouldn't do.

"If I'm going to make a deal with the devil, I want the whole package, the real deal." Tony pulled back enough to look into Loki's eyes and was pleased to register surprise in the startling green depths.

The God of Mischief was never one to startle for long though, and he met Tony's gaze with a grin, "And which deal might you be referring to? The one where you help me save the world, or the one where I fuck you into the mattress."

"The one where we save the world _together_ and we fuck each other senseless along the way. My turn to lead first tonight." With a grin Tony ground their hips together to emphasize his words.

Loki's eyes narrowed for a moment, but Tony held his ground, not backing down. It seemed to please Loki because suddenly he grinned once more, "Very well then."

Tony then experienced one of the strangest things he'd ever encountered in his life, and that was saying something considering everything he'd seen since becoming Iron Man five years ago. Not only did Loki's facial hair seem to just fade away, but the rest of his hair lengthened and darkened to the black Tony remembered. Strangest of all was as Loki's body shifted against his and he grew that bit taller Tony remembered. No longer did Tony have Will Thompson pressed against the wall, he had his true prey and he felt satisfaction wash through him.

"Much better," Tony murmured, leaning in for another kiss. One of his hands slid up from Loki's hip in search of skin, but it was thwarted not only by a shirt but a waistcoat as well, and Tony growled in frustration. "As good as you look in a suit, there are far too many layers for my tastes right now."

"Easily remedied," was the laughing reply, and suddenly they were pressed skin-to-skin.

Instinctively Tony ground their hips together, drawing groans from them both. "A handy trick, but I hope you didn't get rid of it entirely, that suit was Armani." Tony nipped at the curve of Loki's jaw, running his hands up Loki's sides, relishing in all of the smooth skin now bared to his touch.

"On the couch," Loki gasped out, pressing his hands to Tony's chest. "Like I'd waste a good Gucci."

"Man after my own heart," Tony chuckled and bit the curve of his throat, making Loki moan again. Tony had noticed the last time they were together that Loki appeared to relish a bit of pain with his pleasure, and it seemed it still held true.

His teeth scraped along Loki's collarbone, which elicited another pleasing groan, but Tony found his other plans thwarted by the height difference. Time for a change of venue he decided, pulling Loki away from the wall and pushing him down into one of the suite's sumptuous armchairs. He followed Loki down, knees settling snugly against narrow hips, that was more like it.

"Enjoying manhandling me tonight, Stark?" Loki looked up at him with a quirked brow and Tony grinned.

"Exceedingly," he replied, and he was. Now that he had Loki where he wanted him, he canted his hips just so and wrapped his hand around their cocks, giving a slow and teasing stroke.

Loki gave a growl of frustration and that was the last thing that was slow or teasing about it. He wrapped his hand around Tony's and together they set a furious pace, kissing and licking, biting and nipping, each seemed set upon driving the other over the edge first. Tony could feel it when Loki's body thrummed with the tension of holding off, a tension he was determined to release.

His free hand tweaked Loki's nipple, _hard_. Loki broke their kiss with a gasp at the sensation and Tony knew that was the moment. His teeth sunk into the curve of Loki's neck as a deft flick of his thumb ran over the head of Loki's cock, and suddenly he was coming. And whether it was on purpose or not, Loki's hand squeezed just a bit harder as he came, sending Tony rushing into his own climax.

They sat there, heads leaning on each other's shoulders as they gasped for breath, slowly coming down from the high rushing beneath their skin. Eventually Loki gave a breathy little laugh, "Well... that's not what I was expecting, but it didn't disappoint."

Tony grinned and lifted his head to meet Loki's gaze, "That's good, because it was only round one. It's earlier in the night this time, I expect at least two more rounds before we're done."

"Sure you can handle that many?" Loki teased. "You're getting up there, old man."

"Who are you calling old?" Tony huffed, "You're the thousand year old alien."

" _God_ ," Loki said, looking less than impressed for a moment, only to grin again. "And with a body better than that of a 30-year-old man, or do you disagree?"

"Hmm, no, I don't suppose I do, but I can still keep up with you." Tony got to his feet, "How's the shower in this place?"

"Sumptuous." Loki smiled lasciviously as he stood, "Planning to try it out with me?"

"That was the general idea." Tony grinned and grabbed Loki's hand, pulling him along off into the en suite.

~*~*~*~

In the morning Tony awoke and, unlike the last time they spent the night together, Tony found himself alone in bed. He sat up looking around for Loki, but the other man was nowhere to be seen, and the door into the en suite stood open. Tony's gaze was finally caught by an unexpected sight on his bedside table. His phone lay there, rather than remaining in his trouser pocket where he knew he had left it, and laying across it was a single white rose.

He picked up the phone and found a text message notification from a number his phone was labeling as GoM, he didn't have anyone in his address book by that name. When he opened the message, it suddenly made sense. 'Check your email and Twitter', the text was clearly from Loki.

Tony logged into his email first and found a message with a large attachment, all the message itself said was 'As you requested'. Loki's proof then... Tony knew what he'd be spending the weekend pouring over, because despite himself he found he believed the other man already and now it was just a matter of convincing his teammates.

Flipping over to his Twitter feed, he found this message:

WThompson: Hey everyone, war's over, I'm a #StarkStalker now. What do you say, @IronMan, are you in my Army?

Without hesitation, Tony reached out to tap the screen, clicking 'follow'.

~*~*~*~*~*~

**Author's Note:**

> So I tried my hand at a basic photomanip to go along with the story. We have here "Will's" photo from People Magazine:
> 
>  
> 
> [ ](http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/dracavia/2219206/54432/54432_original.jpg)  
> 


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